Rival Yves Saint Laurent biopics spark row in France

Row over whether Yves Saint Laurent bio-pic out Wednesday and backed by his
longtime partner Pierre Bergé is hagiography to the "business brain"
behind the YSL mark or touching portrait of tortured creative genius

Cinema critics in France were on Tuesday involved in a heated debate over whether the much-awaited "official" biopic of Yves Saint Laurent, the late fashion designer, is a touching classic on the tortured creative genius – or a hagiography to the glory of his long time partner and the brand.

The release of YSL, which has received the official blessing of Pierre Bergé, 82, Saint Laurent's partner who ran his business, comes months before that of a rival biopic that Bergé has sworn to do everything in his power to "ban".

There is no doubt that YSL – which spans his debut as assistant to Christian Dior in 1957 to 1976, the year of his legendary Opéra-Ballets russes collection – is eerily accurate, from a visual and physical point of view.

Pierre Niney, the lead, resembles a young Saint Laurent to such an extent – even wearing his own glasses and a nose implant to perfect the illusion – that the late designer's surviving dog reportedly thought he had found his lost master when brought to the film set.

For the film, entitled Le Figaro, he captures to perfection Saint Laurent's mixture of "angst-ridden shyness whose kindness is tinged with 'noirceur' (darkness)".

Jalil Lespert, the director, was also given carte blanche to use and consult the vast archives of the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent foundation, which possesses 5,000 dresses, 15,000 accessories and 35,000 sketches.

For Paris Match, the film is "sublime, overwhelming, timeless".

Elle called it "brilliant" and a touching testament to "a love story between two very particular beings wholly dedicated to one oeuvre: fashion".

Mr Bergé and Saint Laurent were companions on and off from 1958 until the designer's death in 2008. One of the film's signature lines from Mr Bergé is: "You have the talent; I'll take care of the rest."

"Depression, drugs, infidelity, obsessive jealousy – the designer's dark hours are far from eluded," wrote critic Beatrice Moreno. "One leaves the cinema with the disagreeable impression that Mr Yves was not up to the mark of Doctor Saint Laurent."

Yet its detractors say the film is wide of the mark as it is far too "smooth" and fails to do justice to his creative brilliance.

"Jalil Lespert forgot to recount just one thing: Saint Laurent as an artist, Saint Laurent as a designer, and Saint Laurent as a man. In its place, the film recounts a brand and who it would be nothing without Pierre Bergé," he goes on.

More measured, Janie Sarnet, fashion reporter for Le Figaro who followed the designer throughout his career, said: "This was not the Yves I knew."

"Jalil Lespert undresses a legend by showing him wrestling with his demons".

But, she added: "By preferring the man over the (artist and visionary), the film fails to pay him a suitable tribute."

Wednesday's release follows a two-year battle with a rival biopic, Saint Laurent, a film directed by Bertrand Bonello, which has received the go ahead from the owner of Yves Saint Laurent brand, François Pinault, to use the logo and dresses in his possession.

Hostilities came to a head last year when Mr Bergé threw his weight behind Lespert's movie.

"Two films on YSL? I hold the moral rights over YSL's work, his image and mine and have only authorised Jalil Lespert. A trial on the cards?," threatened Mr Bergé, the multi-millionaire part-owner of Le Monde newspaper.

His lawyers forbade the film to touch his private life or image or use any Saint Laurent creations in his possession. Film distributors also received a copy.

Thomas Bidegain, scriptwriter for the Bonnello film said: "Bergé's role, even when Saint Laurent was alive, has been: 'I tell the story.'"

He told The Telegraph: "Saint Laurent had a very complicated life and Bergé always managed the legend. That's why he couldn't take being dispossessed of that story."

The rival "official" film is no hagiography, he added. "It's simply recounted by Bergé, like Mozart recounted by Salieri."